J. Church

“ Christ being united to his Church, beholds it with admiration; highly commends her, and to shew how dear she is to him, he laid down his life for her, in the set time, to favor our souls. He subdues our enmity, melts our hearts, reconciles our wills, draws our affections to himself, and leads our faith to admire him, believe in him, rest on him, and be satisfied with him. He loves us, we love him ”

“ These he executes in the church, and in the hearts of all believers. He enlightens us as a Prophet, he intercedes as a Priest, and he reigns as a King. He teaches the way to heaven as a Prophet, he opens the way as a Priest, and he brings into the way as a King. He preached glad tidings to the meek as a Prophet, he binds up the broken-hearted as a Priest, and he opens the prison doors as a king. These glorious offices he exercises in the souls of his children, and viwing him faithful in his house, he is truly lovely to his church. ”

“ Thus the Union is mutual, and sweet communion is the blessed effect of it. The Saviour must see of the travail of his soul, in their complete conversion. He longs for their coming home, and they long to get home to see him, who is the brightness of the Father’s p. 6glory, and the express image of his Person. Under this sweet influence of the spirit of love, the Church breathes forth her earnest desires—Make haste my beloved, and be thou like to a Roe, or a young Hart upon the mountains of spices. ”

“ This is a phrase frequently used in this Song; and sometimes Christ is compared to these lovely creatures, no doubt, for their loving natures, excellent and choice, for the antipathy between them and serpents—for their thirst, after the conflict they usually have with Serpents: they are also remarkable for longivity, but in this text are mentioned to shew their remarkable swiftness of foot: their speediness is used to set forth the swiftness of Christ to the soul, over mountains of sorrow, hills of grief, over all the difficulties that are in the way. ”

“ There must be a knowledge of Jesus, union to him and communion with him; this is our meetness for glory; and however uncandid it may be deemed, I am bold to affirm, that no man can behold the face of God with joy, without those blessings in time. ”

“ This title is given to Jesus, nineteen or twenty times in this book; and no doubt is intended to point out the high esteem the church has of her Saviour; the clearest, the sweetest evidence of a person’s interest in Christ, is love to the dear God-Man Mediator. This principle is shed abroad in the heart; it is always in the believer as p. 7a principle; but it is not always shed abroad in the feeling sense of it, we wish it was, as it is calculated carry us above the love of sin, the love of self, the love of the creature, and the love of the world. ”

“ He took our nature, we take his spirit, and like the men of Judah, we have two parts in David. We are bone of bone, and flesh of his flesh; and the Apostle tells us, we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. ”

“ The presence of Jesus endears the blessings of providence; adds a glory to creation, and causes the earth to be filled with his praise. This gives a relish to the bounties of nature; adds a double beauty to flowers, and a double sweetness to fruits.
This Request may be considered as the language p. 14of the whole Church, longing for the second coming of Jesus Christ. It is clearly revealed that the Lord will appear again the second time, without spot and sin, to salvation ”